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Underwater Photography Tutorial, Tips, Tricks, Preparation, and more

Article Posted: Apr. 10, 2014

Shooting UnderwaterWhen shooting underwater, you’ll discover it’s a whole new world. Principles of lighting, composition, movement, color balancing, etc, are all different than shooting above water, let alone in a studio. There are also differences between environments; you can make a pool into a predictable, consistent, “controlled” environment, or opt to adapt your experiences into a more dynamic, changing, inconsistent world of ocean or open water photography at various depths, light conditions, opacities, etc. These differences, along with temperature, buoyancy, and the subject’s comfort in that environment make it a challenge when compared to “normal” photography or filming. But that’s also what makes it so wonderful. It’s a liberating, still expanding art form with limitless opportunity for discovery.

Lack of gravity means you can shoot the subject from almost any angle, with lighting coming from different directions. The water also allows the subject’s dress, hair, and movement to become a different/new component of your framing expectations and objectives. It’s a much more 3-dimensional canvas for creative expression.

These various factors play an important part of delivering the best results. Let’s address some of them.

Everything is always moving underwater. Don’t fight it too much. Embrace the natural movement. Learn to understand it. Use it to your advantage. The air in your lungs also makes you and your subject float. Consider wearing a weight belt if you’re trying to stay put – such as in pool photoshoot. Or master your swimming skills to optimize your comfort in the water. Coach your subject accordingly as needed. Keep in mind that you'll have to go up often and factor that into your planning.

You will need goggles (swimming goggles or a scuba mask will do, depending on preference.) The more comfortable you are in your environment the better. Get fins or a wetsuit as needed, but remember to match your subject’s comfort if you’re shooting people. Not feeling/knowing what they are experiencing makes it less obvious in directing them if you can’t relate.

Outex housings trap air as well, and allows you to regulate how much buoyancy you get by squeezing it out (or not) just before you seal it. More air means more float, and vice versa.

Open water is much different, since you may be dealing with currents, tides, waves, or other moving parts in/on the water. Become familiar and explore your environment as much as you can so that your image capturing in the main/sole focus when you’re ready to shoot.

Explore all of those dimensions creatively. Harness it in your favor. You'll be able to create situations and images that are only possible underwater, as the examples below will show.

As mentioned above, movement and buoyancy will also influence your framing and composition underwater. Take that into account by re-thinking your desired outcomes. Water properties and conditions not only affect light as it crosses the surface, but also make it behave differently underwater. Depth, opacity, time of day, and other elements in the water such as chlorine, sand, dust, dirt, algae, etc. will influence lights reflection against surfaces, refraction thru the water, and all of the aspects of your image capture.

In general, you want to be close to the subject. Water density and opacity quickly dissipates light over shorter distances compared to air, and can reduce image sharpness, contrast, color balancing, etc. as your distance from the subject increases. Wide angles lenses are recommended to facilitate that proximity and all of its benefits. More on that later. And remember, sometimes the reflection, the shadow, or the refracted portion of the image becomes more relevant to your composition than the original subject, as you can see in some of the example images.

When capturing wild life, try to become one with the environment. If you move quickly or frequently, you’re likely to scare/disturb natural wild life behavior, as well as potentially worsening the movement of particles in the water. For example, fish will swim away from you when you move towards it. Be still, and let them come to you instead. It not only improves your chances of a natural framing/composition, it also enable you to capture a wider variety of angles and perspectives of the subject matter.

Use light as it travels into and thru the water when deciding how to frame your shot. Rays of light can be as beautiful and relevant in your shot as the subject itself. The background can steal the show. As mentioned before, depth and water opacity are a big factor in determining the right outcome. Unlink shooting above water, we suggest you think 3-dimensionally. No need to always face the subject or even be in the same plane. Use the water to explore your ability to shoot up, down, or across to create new and different effects to your image.

The image below is an example of the beautiful results you can obtain by shooting up towards the surface. The water is a natural filter towards the direct sunlight, and helps enhance the naturally occurring contrasts of color both in and above the water.

In addition to natural light, you can use use reflective surfaces underwater, just as you would above water. But refrain from using breakable materials (glass, mirrors, etc.). Use bendable, flexible materials instead. And you can find specialty waterproof lighting for custom lighting conditions, such as FoxFury and others. The images below provide some examples.

Lens selection

In general it's a good idea to consider wide angle lenses for underwater photography. The wide angle recommendation stems from the need for proximity underwater due to lighting loss over short distances (compared to air), loss of focus, decreased sharpness, consideration for water clarity and/or inconsistency (dust, sand, debris, algae, etc.), and other factors such as refraction. Wider lenses allows you to get closer to the subject and capture it in closer proximity to reality while avoiding/reducing some of the distorting factors mentioned above. There's a complete separate NEWSentry here at Outex.com discussing the differences and advantages/disadvantages between dome (curved) and flat (regular) lenses, and why Domes are generally superior, specially for split level photography. We also have a quick guide in the FAQpage. You can see some of the aforementioned distortions in the image below, which highlights refraction, reflection, color aberration, the difficulty in finding focus both above and below water, focal length requirements, and the importance of water clarity.

Here's a very brief summary, exemplified by the image below:1. Refraction; Image is not as magnified due to refraction of light in the water. Refraction is the visual bending that results from the change in density and therefore change in light speed as it crosses from air to water. Refraction occurs when light changes speed when it enters a body of water, causing it change direction. The subject becomes ¼ closer and 1/3 bigger.2. Sharpness; Improved color and sharpness retention since you’re closer to the subject (less distortion). Flat lenses create a progressive distortion away from the center of the image as they do not address the progressive refraction near the edges. That also means a dome port makes it easier to find focus throughout the frame. 3. Aberration; Less chromatic aberration (color fringing), as the same refraction impacts not only light, but as the light separates into the color spectrum’s component colors. Dome ports help correct light dissipation over distance, helping ensure a more evenly sharp, focused, and color-correct image.